At the last moment, the three central ministers were still discussing the idea proposed by the emperor.
The next moment, I saw with my own eyes that this idea came true.
Bringing troops and horses to meet without being summoned, everyone knows what kind of idea they have.
It's just pity that Mr. Zhao thought about it a lot, but he didn't expect this person to come.
The prince of Yongjia County, Zhao Shicheng.
Like today's emperor, this man comes from the lineage of Shang Wang Zhao Yuanfen. Compared with the clan of Taizu, his family's life is undoubtedly much better.
Just like the child Zhao Ding brought into the palace, his father was just a county magistrate, but Zhao Shicheng succeeded to the throne and was treated like a royal.
Speaking of which, what this person said is somewhat reasonable.
After all, he has made no progress, and apart from the throne, he seems to have nothing to care about.
Zhao Ding pulled Hu Quan back and put on a smile:
"What does the prince intend to do with this move?"
Zhao Shicheng was still playing with his fan, and he entered the room unceremoniously and sat on the main seat:
"Isn't this, Prime Minister Zhao, asking questions knowingly?"
"I really don't know. Please give me some advice from the prince."
After experiencing Jingkang and Miao Liu, I not only saw the cavalry of the Jin people, but also experienced more than ten bandit uprisings within a year.
Several ups and downs, including Qin Hui, Duchong, and Wang Boyan... For Zhao Ding, he does have the qualifications to be calm, or to pretend to be stupid.
Zhao Shicheng didn't talk too much. What he wanted to seize now was time, so he went straight to the point:
"The official personally led the army to the expedition. Please tell Prime Minister Zhao what the situation will be."
"The official family is very good! They have to eat seven or eight bowls of rice every day and have five or six women to look after. Yesterday, they sent a letter asking them to take some of the concubines from the palace to Yingzhou!"
Zhao Ding didn't say anything, but Hu Quan spoke first: "If the prince misses you, he can go to Yingzhou in person to see you. Maybe the officials will miss you too!"
"Oh?" Zhao Shicheng ignored his weirdness and asked, "Is that true?"
"if not?!"
He shook his head and looked at Zhao Ding again:
"Zhao Xiang knows that if I can come today, I must have full confidence and complete news... We are all the pillars of the country, why should we treat me as a fool?"
Fortunately, Liu Ziyu just revealed the truth to the two of them, otherwise, Zhao Ding would not be able to sit still now.
But he sat still.
Because in the Song Dynasty, no one knows the current military deployment better than him.
There are indeed no soldiers in Lin'an City, but not only Lin'an, but also Lianghuai, Jiangnan, Fujian and Guangxi, there are not many soldiers now.
There are also not many people Zhao Shicheng can use.
So he did not tell lies like Hu Quan, but asked instead:
"Does the family know about the prince's trip? Does the chief minister know about it?"
This is a state matter, but it is also a family matter of the Zhao family, which is very important.
King Yi Zhao Zhongshi gave birth to eleven sons. This one ranked seventh and was the only one to inherit the title.
His other ten brothers, as well as their respective nephews, all serve in various armies, routes, and counties. Although their official positions are not high, they are all doing serious errands.
If this is Zhao Shicheng's intention, it would be easy to handle; but if it is Zhao Zhongshi's intention, then Zhao Ding will have to weigh it.
Zhao Shicheng sighed softly: "They don't understand very well, but since I am here, I will treat them as if I have agreed."
"Da Zongzheng... I will inform him when things happen here."
"Understood."
Zhao Ding finally knew that this mentally ill Yongjia County Prince didn't even have an ally now.
But is he really out of his mind?
Prime Minister Zhao didn't believe it, so he asked the second question:
"What is your basis?"
Yue Fei won't talk about it. That person was the person he strongly recommended back then. Everyone in the world knows what kind of temper he is. The rest, whether it is Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun or Yang Yizhong, are all Conglong who used to serve King Kang as emperor. Minister, all wealth and wealth are tied to the official family.
All the generals in Huai and Xiangyang are the emperor's direct confidants. The only one who has the possibility is the Sichuan side.
Although the Wu brothers were supported by Zhang Jun, there were times when they were disobedient, but after all, they were too far apart...if they were too far apart, it would be difficult to control them.
Zhao Shicheng had never wanted to see blood. Both Zhao Ding and Liu Ziyu were well-known people. If they could stand on his side, they would naturally save a lot of effort.
So if these people can give up on Lao Jiu just by showing their own strength, why not do it?
Thinking of this, he clapped his hands:
"Marshal Wang, come in and say hello to everyone!"
Marshal Wang...
Before a few people could think about it, a military commander with white hair on both sides of his temples soon entered the door.
Hu Quan didn't recognize him, but Zhao Ding and Liu Ziyu knew each other. Not only did they know each other, but they were also old acquaintances.
Wang Xie, who was born in the Western Army, was Zhang Jun's comrade. When the army was marching to Taiyuan, this man was there. He received the "loyalty and bravery" commendation written by Emperor Xiaociyuan himself.
His later resume was almost the same as that of Zhang Taiwei. In the early years of Shaoxing, he, together with Han Shizhong, Xiang Guangshi, Zhang Jun, and Yue Fei, were known as the five generals of the Shenwu Army.
But later, when the Jin army collapsed before the battle, they allowed the soldiers to plunder in Pizhou, and then fled to Shuzhong. They also wanted to invite the emperor there, but the emperor refused.
Then came Yang Yao's uprising. This "loyal and brave" general couldn't even defeat some bandits. He had a feud with Zhe Yan in Jinghu Lake. After running the business for a year, the income was only two fishing boats... The emperor couldn't bear him anymore. He was ordered to hand over the affairs to Yue Fei.
This escaping ability is comparable to that of Xiang Guangshi. He fled from the west to the east, from the north to the south. He has been a general for many years, but he has not even won a single battle.
Now his identity is that of a well-known and responsible official with no responsibility, and the training envoy of the Haozhou regiment.
"Prime Minister Zhao... you are well. You were the prime minister back then. I didn't expect that when we meet again, you will still be the prime minister."
Although Zhao Ding saw the person, he still didn't understand where the soldiers came from.
Wang Xie seemed to see his doubts:
"Speaking of which, I have to thank Yue Pengju."
It turns out that after Yue Fei officially took over the military affairs of Jinghu, he expelled most of General Wang Xie's troops... This man was a man who even wanted to recruit bandits, but he did it to this extent, which is enough to show that General Wang's subordinates What kind of stuff are they.
Yue Fei didn't want them, but after all, they were all seven-foot-tall men, and there were many people who wanted them from other places; these people were mixed in the various state capitals in the south of the Yangtze River, but they also continued to mix in the army.
What's more, he even served as a county captain and patrolled prefectures and counties.
According to the rules, if the county has more than 10,000 households, 50 armed archers will be sent; if the county has more than 7,000 households, 40; if the county has more than 5,000 households, 30; if the county has more than 3,000 households, 25; There are 15 households with less than 1,000 households and 10 households with less than 1,000 households.
Although there were not many troops, Wang Xie responded to his call and gathered three to four thousand people. Among them were hundreds of archers, one or two hundred cavalry, plus some stragglers he had recruited. Wang Xie came this time Lin'an brought more than 5,000 people with him.
Five thousand skirmishers, if Lin'an had prepared early, these people wouldn't be able to do anything big.
But Zhao Shicheng was caught off guard and did the last thing he should not do at the most impossible time.
Finally understanding the whole story, Zhao Ding has nothing more to say... This prince, if you call him stupid, he also knows how to take advantage of the situation.
But let's call him smart... When the officials came to their senses, how could the power of the Song Dynasty's hundreds of thousands of troops be blocked by a mere five thousand people?
Zhao Ding looked at Zhao Shicheng and gave his only suggestion:
"When Kaifeng fell, the Six Armies wanted to elect King Yi to succeed him, but King Yi resigned because he had his own God. The Six Armies refused, and King Yi wanted to commit suicide with his sword. Later, the Six Armies made an agreement with King Yi:' If the month passes and Allah does not come out, then Zhongshi will immediately become king."
"Later, when the official came to the throne, King Yi ordered him to confer a title and add the three divisions of Yi and Tong. With this favor, he can be regarded as the first person in this dynasty... The prince should remember the virtues of King Yi and don't make a big mistake. .”
It was okay that he didn't mention his father. When he mentioned this, Zhao Shicheng became even more angry.
He could have been the emperor back then, but he was abruptly resigned by his father... Otherwise, he would just be a county king in Shanyin now!
"No need to say anything, Prime Minister Zhao. I just want to ask you, are you willing to continue to be my prime minister?"
Zhao Ding bowed towards him:
"Eating the emperor's salary is a matter of loyalty to the emperor. The official family is the emperor of Zhongxing. Ding only recognizes him as emperor, and nothing else..."
He shook his head, but firmly.
"Where is Mr. Liu?"
Liu Ziyu stood next to Zhao Ding, saying nothing but making his attitude clear.
As for Hu Quan, this guy didn't even ask. If he became emperor, he would never continue the Northern Expedition.
When the time comes, stubborn people like Hu Quan will definitely be sent to other places.
Although it was a pity to see that the prime minister failed to stand on his side, Zhao Shicheng didn't think so much.
"Then I'll offend you... Before the big thing is done, please stay in this office for a few days."
The Song Dynasty never lacked officials.
Zhao Shicheng felt that God's will was like this. If Lao Jiu was more kind or cruel, he probably wouldn't be able to do this.
It just so happens that he happens to be in this role that is neither male nor female, neither good nor bad, neither good nor cruel.
Take the officials who were repairing the Imperial Academy, for example. If he had killed them all that day, he might have had a headache.
But now, he has a complete team at his disposal, and he has someone to show his favor to.
Moreover, God knows why he personally led the army to the Northern Expedition.
God knows why after the Xixia people ignored him, he was approached by the more powerful Jin people.
God knows why Lao Jiu took it seriously as Jin Ren said and lost contact with the court.
No matter which link is broken, he, the Prince of Yongjia County, will not be able to accomplish anything.
And now...
He is standing in the palace, and if he wants, he can sit in that position today.
As everyone came out of the office, Zhao Shicheng looked at the Daqing Hall not far away... This should have been his place, if his father hadn't acted randomly back then.
"Did you encounter any trouble along the way?"
Wang Xie knew that he was asking about himself and smiled:
"My lord, you are overly worried. Let's just say that they are coming from the north. The people in Lin'an City and the palace are not even on guard. They have all been disarmed... Anyone who abandons the secret and turns to the light should be taken into consideration by us." .”
Nodding slightly, he looked at the dwarf who had not spoken since entering the palace:
"Thank you sir, otherwise, I don't know how long I would have to wait."
The dwarf smiled: "I just hope that your majesty will remember the agreement you made with us."
The two of them understood each other tacitly and said at the same time:
"Song and Jin will form an alliance forever."
(End of chapter)
